Release date confirmed on Netflix for ‘The Boy and the Heron’
It’s been over a year since The Boy and the Heron released in cinemas, and Netflix has finally set a premiere date for Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning instant animated classic.
The legendary filmmaker’s first feature in a decade, the Studio Ghibli fantasy faced plenty of pressure to live up to expectations, even if the fact it lured Miyazaki out of semi-retirement was a good enough indicator that it was going to live up to its billing.
A massive hit at the global box office, The Boy and the Heron came within touching distance of $300 million in ticket sales, with Netflix subscribers eagerly awaiting confirmation of when they could stream it on any device of their choosing.
It’s been months since it was announced the whimsical and emotionally affecting fantasy would be heading to the platform in the majority of countries worldwide, but only now has it been confirmed that The Boy and the Heron will be streaming from October 7.
The downside for anyone based in the United States is that America and Japan are the only two major markets where Miyazaki’s latest masterwork won’t be available. However, Max subscribers won’t mind in the slightest, with the film being available on Warner Bros’ in-house streaming service since September 6th.
The winner of both the Oscar and Golden Globe for ‘Best Animated Feature’, The Boy and the Heron proved that Miyazaki hadn’t lost a step during his lengthy sabbatical, with the animation auteur delivering a moving story that comfortably stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of his esteemed back catalogue.
Following the journey of Mahito, the 12-year-old boy finds himself struggling to settle in new surroundings following the death of his mother. Fortunately, the titular bird enters his life at exactly the right moment, informing the protagonist that she’s still alive, emboldening the youngster to venture out to an abandoned tower to find her, where he’s transported to a different plane of reality.
Animated content has been growing increasingly popular on Netflix, and with the streaming service increasing the volume of its anime-inspired output in terms of both originals and legacy titles, the most recent film from a master like Miyazaki feels destined to become one of the top-viewed titles among users when October 7 finally rolls around.
It’s been a long time coming with the Netflix premiere coming almost 15 months after The Boy and the Heron‘s big screen bow, but at least the wait is almost over.